Sex is not the enemy

Prompt claiming is going nicely at the Uhura fest. All the original posting dates filled up, which has never happened before. I added more of them, because who wants to limit the amount of Uhura awesomeness in our comm?! If you are still prompt shopping, I recommend the genre unspecified prompts. They're at the bottom of the list, and I think a lot of people had already gotten their hearts set on something else before they even saw them. This is understandable but also sad because there's a wealth of inspiration hibernating down there.

My own fic (for the prompt "Spock asks Uhura out, but she turns him down, so he has to come up with a logical argument to persuade her") is coming along nicely. I've written about 1500 words and made an editing pass already. I'm trying to play with some irony by making Uhura the one who is afraid of an emotional entanglement. She's very focused on her career and convinced that dating someone would hold her back from the interplanetary exchange or field experience that would land her on the Enterprise. That means she turns Spock down without even thinking about it, and she's kind of sorry about it, but convinced that staying single is necessary to achieve her dreams. (No, this fic is not about me, not at all.) I'd like the fic to be about Uhura figuring out that sometimes having a relationship helps us achieve more rather than less, but I don't want it to come off like, "foolish woman, your life would be so much better with a man!" It's more about realizing that while most of the men around her are not right for her, Spock is because he would never expect her to do anything as illogical as curtailing her own potential for the benefit of their relationship.

The next hurdle is figuring out how Spock should present his logical argument. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it couldn't be anything as blunt as the top five reasons Uhura should date Spock. That just sounds too condescending for Uhura to tolerate -- "listen up, woman, your logical faculties are weak, so you were mistaken when you thought you weren't interested in me." I do want Spock to advocate for himself, but in a more subtle way. I just haven't figured out what that is yet. I already set them up to be friends, so now I have to figure out how on earth Spock might bring the conversation around to dating and relationships so he can share some of his views with her. Maybe she could be translating something relating to Vulcan dating? Or, more accurately, logical selection of appropriate life partners. That could be a good spring board for discussion, though maybe a bit contrived. Though now I desperately want to know what a Vulcan women's magazine looks like...

Another thought could be Spock asking Uhura advice for how to take a woman out for a romantic meal. Uhura might find herself a bit jealous since she actually does feel very attracted to Spock. Of course, she wouldn't know that he was collecting information to use to seduce her. Or she could be happy that he found someone else, which makes her let her guard down, so she doesn't notice how Spock is quietly doing the small things she finds romantic...though, of course, she would eventually put two and two together. Hrm.

Side question: The boy and I are still working through BSG, but I need another sci-fi show to mainline. Preferably something available on Netflix watch instantly, but definitely not Dr. Who. I guess I could also go for some really absorbing drama, but probably not a crime drama.

Heartily seconded; I think both women manage not to be tokens, actually (one explores the difference between being sexy and being a token).

In related news, I love this S/U tale you're crafting, IGS. Not least because I'm trying to play with some irony by making Uhura the one who is afraid of an emotional entanglement. She's very focused on her career and convinced that dating someone would hold her back from the interplanetary exchange or field experience that would land her on the Enterprise. warms my little heart. I know IRL it's often necessary to choose, but my romantic heart hates the idea that a woman necessarily can't have a career and a romantic relationship both (and one of the common criticisms of S/U from the movie is just that, that once we find out Uhura is involved with Spock we necessarily know she's going nowhere and doing nothing but being his girlfriend, which is not at all the movie I saw, so I can't wait to see one of my favorite authors, well, logically refute that foolishness).

Thank you for saying this! One of the slow and difficult lessons of my life was that wanting to be in a relationship did not make me a bad feminist, and it didn't diminish my strength or independence. I do feel very lucky to have found a guy whose reaction to me writing a grant to spend a summer in Africa without him was, "that sounds like it would be really good for you." (I didn't get the grant, btw, but at least I tried!) So I really do want to write a positive and empowering relationship; I just worry that it's going to come off as "stupid girl, don't you know that men make your life better?" It means a lot to know that you don't think it sounds that way.

I don't think it sounds like "stupid girl..." at all. My main concern with the write up was that Spock not end up a passive aggressive Nice Guy™, but I think you're aware and a more than excellent enough writer not to fall into that trap/trope.